Hey Cothers, I’m trying to think of some ideas to attract young riders to our local Dressage Association.
Our numbers are low, and we have very little interest from young riders and children.
Has anything worked in your clubs, or if you have any ideas to share I would love to hear them!
Kids go where other kids are and where other people don’t make them feel dumb. Youth clinics or education days? Awards that are kid-specific at shows?
I know watching freestyles really peaks my daughter’s interest. Basically we just need to make it look fun!! Not too bogged down with too many details.
I think doing fun shows or clinics where the kids can dress up might help peak interest. Think Halloween dressage show, ugly sweater Christmas attire, maybe just something silly? Obviously I’m thinking about more schooling shows.
I don’t know how to get the kids into it but our local group does an awesome end of the summer program.
Friday-Saturday are 30 min private sessions with local BNT. They all stable together and have hands on learning sessions from local experts and various horse care presentations. Lunging, wrapping, etc.
Sunday is a “show” of any test with feedback from a judge and the BNT.
I hovered around while at a schooling show at the same venue that weekend. Totally wish I was a kid!
I know they advertised directly to the dressage barns in the area and got a few eventers as well.
Our county 4H horse group has a lot of dressage riders (western dressage, too). I judge their shows sometimes, and I have done dressage clinics for 4Hers that usually go quite well. That has resulted in many of the kids getting interested in going to the regular dressage shows, not just 4H.
I think some of it is parent related. The idea (I can’t say myth because frankly, it’s mostly true) that dressage is prohibitively expensive, and you have to have a 6-figure horse to compete keeps many parents steering their kids away.
That’s why I’ve gotten involved with 4H. Most of the kids are on TBs, QHs, Arabs, and Appaloosas. Many of them do well in open competition, they just need the encouragement. Maybe try calling your local 4H office and see if you can scare up some kids!
As the mom of a kid who is doing dressage, I’d say low cost fun things for sure, and maybe (for older kids) some demonstrations about it’s usefulness in other disciplines?
The working equitation demonstrating the cool stuff you can do is really inspiring.
One of the things that limits us is that we don’t own a horse, so activities that local barns can engage in or that don’t require you bring a horse of your own would be great.
Create a series of three clinics for “youth in dressage” , and make it completely grass roots: reach out to 4-H and pony club. Charge next to nothing, offer scholarships if kids can write a little essay that explains why they are interested in dressage. Pay instructors for a whole day of clinic, possibly two. Make sure to include a lecture. Make sure the instructors are actually kid friendly, and make things fun.
Emphasize strongly that this is not stuff for someone who already rides in the sport, it is inclusive of anyone who has any interest whatsoever. They can bring whatever tack they’ve already got.
That’s a start
Then you need a way to keep the kids going/interested. Again, create a scholarship situation. There might be some instructors who would donate a portion of their fee and the local dressage club can pay the rest. Or even the local dressage club pays half of a series lot of lessons for interested kids.
See if you can get a team of kids to work as “helpers” at shows. They get coupons for Lessons.
Sponsor youth only classes at local schooling shows. LOWER THE FEES. Get a kids-only clinic going after the show.
Add a lead line class, Prix Caprilli, send invites to pony clubs, 4H, western dressage…
These are great suggestions! It’s a bit difficult to incorporate some because this is the recognized level not schooling level. But I think some of these ideas would be great for our club outside of the shows that are hosted.
Could your club host a local level show? That is how you get people into the sport, with low key local level stuff.
If you want to get kids involved, you need a grassroots program. Recognize showing is not a starting point. The whole environment is probably a bit offputting and intimidating.
Get your local club to form a task force to implement some outreach.
We used to ask the local pony clubs and 4H to help at our recognized shows! They would volunteer and we would give a donation to their organization. We also reached out to breed specific trainers like the Morgan show people.
I was just talking about this with my dressage instructor! She said she finds that quite often kids don’t have the patience to focus on dressage, exclusively, and people tend to gravitate from other disciplines in the U.S.
Not so much in other countries, but when more kids do something, that can have a spiraling effect, as kids want to be with their friends versus the middle-aged women who tend to do dressage in my area (like myself). Also, some local h/j instructors discourage kids from taking dressage lessons outside the barn.
My daughter is grown now but while she was younger and riding dressage her favorite classes were prix caprilli, pas de deux, and halloween or ‘dress up’ classes. She really enjoyed putting together the pas de deux with other friend(s) and always wished there had been enough interest to do quadrilles and the like.
Similar experience back when I was organizing shows. We’d offer Intro and Training Quadrilles. They’re not scared to death being out there alone performing movements that make no sense to them.
The music could be pretty amusing too.
Close the gate.
Working equitation classes?
I hated dressage when I was a kid. But trail class—that was my favorite.
Yes, Working Equitation to music, and Freestyles to FUN songs. I have a vision of riding in on my new guy to the song I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. What kid wouldn’t have fun doing that? This kid! 
(I’m still 10 in my head)
And what about some fun classes like we all had growing up? Dollar bill under your thigh, egg and spoon, etc.
No, because of Equestrian Canada rules we can not run schooling shows. However there are a lot of local dressage shows. The struggle is the cross over.
We were thinking of doing this, I know they like to do the canteen at shows so going to ask around the Pony Clubs and see if they want to do that and raise some money.
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